1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing resistance to motion, such as rotary motion. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a relatively low cost, lightweight, easy to adjust, quiet, and reliable motion resistance device or apparatus for use in exercise equipment, rehabilitation equipment, and other equipment where adjustable resistance to an input motion is desired.
2. Description of the Related Art
While many motion resistance devices heretofore have been proposed, most of them have a focused point of resistance, like a clutch brake on a drum, which leads to focused wear, e.g., between the brake and the drum. This leads to wear and the requirement to replace the worn parts.
Many exercise devices operate by requiring the user to work against a resistance that opposes the motion of the user. Developing this resistance or opposing force (torque) has been a traditional problem in exercise and rehabilitation equipment. In high-end devices, a magnetic brake or eddy current device is commonly used, but these are expensive and heavy. Wind turbines are also commonly used, but these are often large, heavy, noisy, and are usually not adjustable. Friction devices such as disc brakes and other rubbing devices are also used, but these are often noisy, hard to adjust, and subject to wear.
Several examples of non-analogous motion resistance devices are disclosed in the following non-analogous United States patents.
U.S. Pat. No.Patentee1,820,372Blomquist3,751,033Rosenthal4,417,724Bikker5,031,902Findlay5,033,733Findlay5,116,294Findlay5,314,392Hawkins et al.5,478,299Harmom et al.5,692,994Eschenbach5,833,583Chuang